Save the Date and Vote!

Girlfriends! is going out for an evening of fun, food, and conversation. Mark your calendars for WEDNESDAY night, May 28th. All women are invited to attend this girls night out whether you have been attending Bible Study or not. We want to meet you and your friends - so bring a few along.

Shyla Steen is in planning mode and wants your help. Vote for the restaurant you want to eat at by participating in our pole on this blog. Your choices are Applebees or Caffe Italia in Davis. Let us know which one you like most and we'll make reservations and share all the details soon.

This evening will include a few games and prizes in addition to the food, so you won't want to miss out. It's a GREAT opportunity to invite a friend who may not currently be involved in church. Be sure to VOTE and we'll see you there!

Forgive and Forget?

When bad things happen to good people...

In Bible Study on Wednesday night, we got into a discussion on dealing with the difficult people in our lives. When someone hurts us deeply, how do we respond? We had some great discussion on this topic, including the idea that forgiving doesn't mean we condone the action that hurt us. We're simply giving it to God so that our spirit can be freed from the weight of our pain. However, if we don't choose to forgive, what does the Bible say will happen? This led to the recommendation of a book that Martha Sutton has read.

Forgive and Forget... Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve is a book by Lewis B. Smedes. Here are a few of the quotes from the book:

To forgive we reverse the flow of seemingly irreversible history...of our own history...of our private painful history. We reverse the flow of pain that began in the past when someone hurt us, a flow that filters into our present to wound our memory and poison our future. We heal ourselves when we perform a miracle that hardly anyone notices. We do it silently, no one can record our miracle on tape. We do it invisibly, no one can record our miracle on film.
We do it freely, no one can ever trick us into forgiving someone.

When we forgive we ride the crest of loves cosmic wave; we walk in stride with God, and we heal the hurt we never deserved.

But why is Jesus so tough on us? He is tough because the incongruity of sinners refusing to forgive sinners boggles God's mind. He cannot cope with it; there is no honest way to put up with it. So he says: if you want forgiving from God and you cannot forgive someone who needs a little forgiving from you, forget about the forgiveness you want. Take away the eloquence of King James English and you get Jesus saying something like this: if you refuse to forgive other people when you expect to be forgiven, you can go to hell.

Several of the ladies were interested in taking a look at this book. Hopefully this will give you more insight into what the book is about and help you decide if it's an investment you may want to make.

Thanks, Martha!

Pulling Your Hair Out?!

Difficult people can make every aspect of daily living a challenge. They can take the form of strangers, the Wal-Mart cashier, family members, co-workers, even - dare we say it - friends at church!! Let's face it; we're all made of different DNA and we just don't all think, act, or feel the way everyone else around us does.

The challenge comes from God's Word, in Rom. 12:18 when Paul says, as often as possible, when we have the choice, we should live at peace with those around us. LIVE AT PEACE... and to make it more difficult, it's not the job of the "difficult person", it's up to us. It doesn't matter what that person does or says, we're supposed to live at peace with them.

That's just not FAIR, you say. (My favorite line since I was 3.) Doesn't seem very fair to me when I read it either. Then again, we're brought back to what Jesus did for us on the cross. Was it fair for Him to die for us when He was without sin? Of course not. Jesus is our ultimate example, and as followers of Christ, our job is to be as much like Him as we can.

The good news - we don't have to do it alone. We can look to the Holy Spirit for His unbeatable power to help us make the right choice - even when our emotions tell us to do otherwise. He gives us some practical solutions to help us live at peace with difficult people:

1. Pray - through the moment, that God will help you act and speak like Jesus.
2. Meditate on Scripture - keep your minds on things above.
3. Praise - listen to a Christian song or sing your favorite praise song.

It's amazing how God can change our hearts and our feelings when we meditate and think on HIM. Will it be easy? Of course not. Will it be worth it? YES! Just think of the lives you'll touch because you were willing to live at peace with them, even when they were being difficult!

"To-Do" Lists: Frustration or Freedom?

I think I was probably in Jr. High when I started my first "to-do" list. Study for test, practice my french horn, write a note to Meredith, read how to best apply my make-up in Teen Magazine...

Through the years, the lists have expanded and changed, and now it seems my lists have lists. Whether the list is in your head, or you take time to write it out on paper or enter it into your digital hand-held every day, most every woman has a to-do list!

Now I know there are many women who are able to relax and just roll with the flow. I'm guessing you're the ones who don't ever make a list to begin with. But for the rest of us, it's so easy to allow this list to control our day and our attitude. When we aren't able to check everything off by the end of the day (which NEVER happens), or when something unexpected pops up and takes over, we don't know how to deal with the frustration.

In the Frazzled Female by Cindi Wood, she has a great suggestion for handling our "to-do" lists. Create a "detail book". Get a small notebook and write a little prayer in the front of it. "Lord, here's my list of details. I'm recording things to do, errands to run, items to pick up , places to be, calls to make... all the things that can drive me crazy if each one is not committed to You! Thank You for being the Lord of my details!" Then, as you write or edit your list each day, give your list to God. Let Him take the details of your life and worry about them for you. He knows what needs to happen and how it should happen. What a great way to give your little worries to the Lord! I challenge each of you to give this a try!

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27

Girls Night Out!!

Wednesday, May 28th - Save the date!
Girlfriends! are taking a girls night out to celebrate the completion of our Frazzled Female Bible study. Shyla Steen is in planning mode for a spectacular evening away from all your daily "frazzles"! Dinner, entertainment, maybe a few games? We'll see what she has in store for us soon - details to come. Until then, keep up with your daily studies and make sure this night is on your calendar because you won't want to miss it!

PRAYER CLOSET

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6

Welcome to the Prayer Closet! Your girlfriends want to lift you up in prayer and encourage you! Leave your request and pray for the requests of others. It's simple. Just click on "comments" underneath this post and follow the instructions. You can leave your name, or leave an anonymous request. Either way, you can be assured that girlfriends are praying for you!

If you're here to pray - click on comments for a list of requests that you can take to Jesus!

Welcome Girlfriends!

Sharing, laughing, talking, crying, shopping... if you're in need of a girlfriend fix, your wait is over! Living Hope Church is proud to introduce our new "girlfriends" Women's Ministry blog. The good news is, there are no cliques to fit into or standards to live up to. Come as you are. Share your heart. Laugh and talk with friends. Cry on a shoulder. Shop for spiritual inspiration. This blog will be what you choose to make it, and best of all, a safe place to plug in and be encouraged!

Here are a few guidelines to make the most of your blogging experience:

1. Stay tuned in on the latest news of LHC's women's ministry by checking this blog site at least once a week.
2. Be open, honest, and real! No one's judging you, so ask questions or share comments about where you are in your personal journey with Christ.
3. Stay positive! "Girlfriends" is all about encouragement. Exercise love and care when commenting on someones entry.
4. Go to our "Prayer Closet" with any prayer needs that we can remember in our personal prayer times.

This is an exciting new way to stay in touch with other believers at Living Hope and to draw on each other's strengths. I can't wait to get to know each of you better!